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Gold is a semi-precious metal worth investing in. But with the market infiltrated with crooks today, the gold industry has taken a set-back and caused investors to think twice about it. To ensure that you have genuine gold in your hands, you have totest gold bullion realness first, with the use of an accurate gold testing machine.

test gold bullion

There are many of these devices manufactured and available in the market today – all of which differ in features, cost and brand names. But generally they are made to perform one similar task which is to automatically give the exact carat of the gold piece and tell right there and then if it’s fool’s gold.

For an average person, a real gold bullion is just the same in appearance as a counterfeit; there’s no telling on the realness unless of course a testing device is used. But what if the testing device is not available?

Here are some ways on how to test gold at home and instantly tell if you are in possession of a fake or the real thing:

1. If there’s one thing that gold is not, it’s the fact that it’s not a magnetic kind of metal. You can test gold bullion easily by making use of a magnet from your refrigerator. Just grab any one of your magnets there and hold the gold bullion close to it. Too bad if it sticks because that would mean you are in possession of a gold-plated item. Real gold will never stick to magnet.

2. Inspect the gold carefully. Are there any visible marks on the surface? Well there should be as the carat and fineness of the gold must be marked and carved there. You don’t need a special gold test method to do this. All you have to do is open your eyes and be observant on these visible signs. While you’re at it, check on the color of the precious metal as well. It should have a one-toned color and not a shade darker on one side and a shade lighter on the opposite side. Discoloration is not a good sign as it shows the surface was simply coated or gold plated.

3. Another helpful test is with the use of a ceramic plate from your kitchen. By simply scratching the piece of gold on the plate surface, you will immediately know the quality of gold you have. Just bear with the screeching sound for a while because this is an accurate way to tell the difference between the two. There will be marks left on the plate surface; a black marking means it’s fake while a gold marking or line shows genuine gold.

4. Biting gold can also tell a real gold from a counterfeit. Although this is something that’s hard to do and can break the teeth but many try it out for the reason that it’s accurate. Once you bite the metal, your teeth mark should be visible. The more markings left, the more genuine the piece of gold is.

It is essential to safeguard one’s possession especially if the possession in question is gold. To do that, an investor has to know and test gold bullion authenticity beforehand to avoid being taken advantage by people with bad intentions.